Denver’s connection to “Project Runway” got a little tighter when a group of designers who have been contestants on the popular fashion competition show presented capsule collections at Forever Darling 5 hosted by the Denver Art Museum’s during its Untitled #45 event.

Michael Costello, one of the finalists on the just-ended Season 9 “Project Runway All Stars,” along with Denverite Fallene Wells, Julie Tierney of Grand Junction and five others presented five or six looks each before an SRO crowd in Ponti Hall.

Tierney had an additional motivation to be on the stage and tout her designs: she was in the final days of trying to raise $10,000 in a Kickstarter campaign for her Fashion Meets “Whiskey” line. And props to her for just squeaking by her goal: KickStarter announced Monday afternoon that 143 backers have pledged a total of $10,080 to Tierney’s project.

She said her collection, which combined influences from Prohition-Era speakeasies with 1980s snowboarding, was also a tribute to YSL’s great tailoring and use of menswear fabrics like camel’s hair and houndstooth wool. The 80s boarding culture was referenced in the neon colored insets on the pieces.

Wells, who’s also a hairstylist, loves promoting fashion and this was her fifth annual show featuring a group of designers. As a contestant on Season 9 of “Project Runway,” Wells met and became friends with a number of designers from that series as well as some from Season 8 and decided to invite them to Denver to check out the fashion scene here. Joining her were Becky Ross, Danielle Everine, Jason Troisi, Julie Tierney, Rafael Cox and Cecilia Motwani as well as Tierney and Costello. All stuck around and met the crowd save Costello, who’s a good friend of the other “PR” local winner, Mondo Guerra.

We’ll have more on the show and a photo layout on Thursday; for a slide show visit denverpost.com/photos.